Just There to Die
by The Demon Princess
Summary: The Four Guardians of the Four Gods, This book itself is just a small fragment of a greater story, It tells about the four guardians of the four gods. Four children are chosen to serve each of the four gods, Suzaku, Seiryuu, Byakko, and Genbu. Once the pa
1. Yesterday's Friends Are Today's Foes

Just There to Die

Just There to Die

Introduction

_Hello, my name is Rami._

_I have blue eyes and dark, crimson-stained hair._

_I'm 16 and 5'2._

_I'm just about to take my high-school entrance exams._

_But then I was forced to embark on a fatal mission._

_This is my tale._

_It ought to end when I die, or when I complete my mission._

_Even I do not know what will happen to me._

_My life rests on the actions and choices of the Suzaku shichi seishi._

_For I am the Guardian of Suzaku._

_Hiya, my name is Yunzie,_

_I have green eyes and deep red hair._

_I'm 7 and 4'3._

_I'm in 2nd grade, soon to be in third, almost halfway out of elementary._

_But then I got stuck in a dangerous place,_

_This is my story._

_It ends when I die, or when the game is over and I can go home._

_I don't know what is gonna happen._

_My life in in the hands of the Seiryuu seishi and the things they do._

_Because I'm the Guardian of Seiryuu._

Chapter One: Yesterday's Friends Are Today's Foes

"Yunzie!" Rami called out to her little sister.

"Hello, Rami," Yunzie smiled up at her big sister. She was only seven so Rami had to pick her up from school every day.

"Yunzie, look, I've got to check out some books from the National Libary, alright? Exams are coming up," Rami asked.

"Okie, but can we get some ice-cream?" Yunzie begged.

"Alright, we have to hurry then, the ice-cream store is only open until 5:00," Rami ushered her little sister along.

They soon reached the National Libary.

"Rami! Rami! Wait for me!" Yunzie called as her sister left her a few paces behind.

"Yunzie, you wait here, I'll be right back!" Rami called as she wandered deeper into the libary. Yunzie didn't like being alone. Yunzie wandered a little bit away, then a little more, and yet a little more. She climed up a few steps, then some more, and yet even more. She finally reached a room with wording she could not read. She wandered in the dark room and looked around. there was nothing but old, grubby books. She was not afraid of the dark, like most children her age. She was facinated by it. She looked around the dark room, eyes wide and sparkling. She would not have tripped if she had been looking down instead. Then again, if she hadn't tripped, there would be no point in this tale for it would have ended. There would have been no plot.

"Aiya!" Yunzie yelped as she fell. Her cheek hit the cold floor. She heard something slide over to the opposite side of the room.

"Yunzie? Yunzie!" Rami was calling for her, "Yunzie?" Rami opened the door a crack, she saw her little sister sprawled on the floor, "Yunzie!"

"I'm okay," Yunzie replied, getting up and dusting herself off, "Rami, what's that by your foot?"

"Huh?" Rami bent over and picked up the blue book, "It's an old Chinese book,"

"Can you read Chinese?" Yunzie asked.

"Well, some..." Rami leaned against a bookself and sat down, pulling Yunzie into her lap, "You know we're not supposed to be in here..."

"Read," was all Yunzie said.

"_The Four Guardians of the Four Gods_

_This book itself is just a small fragment of a greater story,_

_It tells about the four guardians of the four gods._

_Four children are chosen to serve each of the four gods,_

_Suzaku, Seiryuu, Byakko, and Genbu._

_Once the page is turned their adventure can begin..."_

" Rami looked up, "Mystifying, isn't it?"

"Yup, read," Yunzie replied.

"Alright," Rami turned the page. The first thing she felt was being torn from her sister, then engulfed by a wave of crimson. Within the depths of her body, a surge of power was given to her. No. It was more like a power already there was merely unlocked.

~¤~

"I'll tell him about it later, no da?" Chichiri said, reffering to Tasuki who was currently hanging off the side of the ship.

"I-" Hotohori cut himself off as crimson light erupted around them. A girl with long, crimson locks fell on Chichiri's head. The girl screamed in terror.

"Where the hell am I? Where the hell did Yunzie go? What the hell are you people wearing! Damnit, where is Yunzie?!" the girl said in a rush.

"Wow, she swears more than Tasuki, no da?" Chichiri mused once the girl was off of his and on her feet.

"Hey, don't girls from other worlds usually land on _you_, Hotohori-sama?" Miaka asked.

"Where am I? Where is Yunzie?" the girl repeated, her eyes then landed on Miaka, "Miaka?!"

"Rami?!" Miaka's eye widened, "What are you doing here?"

"You two know each other?" Hotohori asked.

"Not really, I knocked Rami and her little sister over at the ice cream shop just before I came here," Miaka grinned sheepishly, "Sorry,"

"It's okay... Where am I though? My sister asked me to read an old Chinese book to her, then I was engulfed in crimson light..." Rami trailed off.

"Whaaat?! Is she going to be the new Miko? I am going to be replaced?" Miaka asked.

"I don't think so, no da. Never once did they say in the scroll about replacing Mikos, no da..." Chichiri replied thoughtfully.

"Actually, she is the Guardian of Suzaku. She protects the Suzaku seishi. The book she picked up was called 'The Four Guardians of the Four Gods,'. It is a fragment of this world. She lives for you, she dies for you. It's that simple. She has five powers to aid her in protecting you. She can revive a fallen seishi in exchange for all of her life force. She has a telepathic link with all of the other seishi and Miko so she can act as a tracking device. She can teleport to one of the seishi when they are in need of her only if she is strong. If she is not, then she will die. She can also inherit one of the seishi's abilities temporarily if she kisses the person she wishes to inheirt the power of. The last one, fine out yourselves,"

"T-taiitsukun!" Hotohori stammered.

"Who were you expecting? Suzaku?"Taiitsukun asked.

"Hiya, Taiitsukun, no da?" Chichiri smiled and waived.

"K-kiss?" Miaka asked, looking at Rami, "You better not try to inheirt Tamahome's power..."

"You are speaking as if her life is not important, Taiitsukun..." Hotohori stated.

"Her life _isn't_ important! Yours are! She is not vital to summoning Suzaku!" Taiitsukun exclaimed.

"H-hey... I still don't know where I am, or where Yunzie is, and you're all freaking me out..." Rami stammered.

"Your sister is the chosen Guardian of Seiryuu. You are in the empire of Konan. The book you were reading, it was a portal to this world. You turned the page, and now your adventure begins," Taiitsukun informed.

_'Once the page is turned their adventure can begin...'_ Rami recited, "It was the last sentance of the first page of the book,"

"I must go. Hurry to Hokkan, good luck, Miko and Guardian," With that, Taiitsukun disappeared.

"Yunzie is the chosen Guardian of Seiryuu... What does that mean?" Rami asked Miaka.

"That she's with Yui and you're now enemies. Seiryuu is the ones that are trying to kill us all," Miaka whispered.

"One more thing,"

"AHHHHH!" Rami jumped.

"Don't act like you've seen a ghost!" Taiitsukun snapped, "Unless dead, all of the Suzaku shichi seishi must travel with the Guardian now. She can't go hopping all around the empires helping scattered seishi!"

"But...!" Hotohori protested.

"But nothing, Hotohori. Her life may be severly shortened if you stay." Taiitsukun disappeared again.

"Does she always do that?" Rami asked.

"Yes," Chichiri, Hotohori, and Miaka sweatdropped and said it in unison.

"Well, meet the seishi! TAMAHOME! TASUKI! GET OVER HERE!" Miaka hollered. She had all of the seishi meet Rami.

"Tamahome,

"Hotohori,

"Nuriko,

"Chichiri,

"Tasuki,

"Mitsukake,

"Chiriko," Miaka intoduced.

"Hi, I'm Rami. The, erm.. Guardian of Suzaku,"

_'Yunzie....'_

~¤~

Yunzie screamed in terror, "W-who are you...?" She asked in a small, little child's voice.

"Welcome, Guardian of Seiryuu. I expected you to be much older... No matter. I am Nakago. Your master. You are to protect us with the power bestowed upon you by Seiryuu or the punishment is sever, understood?"

"RAMI!!!!"

~¤~

I admit, Yunzie's part was waaaay to short, but this is the Seiryuu we're talking about. They just get to the bottom line! I hope you liked it. I got this idea when I was what, ten? I don't remember. I just dug it up outta some dead disk.

Please stay for the next chapter: The Fifth Gift

(I'm skipping over the ship ride to Hokkan and the first place they get to in Hokkan because everything happens just as in the anime, just + two people.)


	2. The Fifth Gift

Untitled Normal Page

Just There to Die

Chapter Two: The Fifth Gift Be it a gift, or be it a curse?

Rami dropped the spoon she had been holding.

"What is wrong?" Hotohori asked.

"I-i'm fine... This has been happening a lot. I'm fine now, just a bit of a chill," Rami smiled politely. '_It's as if something special and dear to me is being torn away, slowly, but surely...._'

"Well, what about the Shinzaho?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, I think we should split up and search for clues, no da?" Chichiri proceeded to pair everyone up, "Since Chiriko is just a kid, I'll go with him,"

"My pleasure," Chiriko replied with a smile as he slightly nodded his head.

"...and since Tasuki is such a hothead, the slightly calmer Mitsukake should go with him no da," Chichiri continued.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Tasuki growled.

"Of course, I'll be going with Miaka," Tamahome smiled.

"What about you, Nuriko?" Miaka said through a mouthful of food.

"I would like to go with you and Tamahome..." Nuriko murmered.

"Well, I guess that leaves me with Rami. Is that alright with you?" Hotohori asked.

"Of course..." Rami replied, without looking up. '_It feels like something is ripping me apart from the inside..._' She shuddered and crossed her arms. Sharp stinging erputed on her left cheek.

~¤~

Nakago slapped Yunzie on her left cheek. The impact slammed Yunize off her feet and she hit the opposite wall. '_Rami? Why arn't you here? Why arn't you protecting me like you used to? Is it true? Do you hate me? Was I really a bad sister? Did I really annoy you so much? Rami..._'

"Rami..." Yunzie murmered. She couldn't even find the strength to stand. Her right eye was swollen shut and both cheeks were bruised.

"Your sister hated you. She was always looking for a way to get rid of you. She only smiled and took you placed because your mother made her. She thought you were such a baby. A burden. She thought of you as a pathectic excuse for a child," If this had been Rami, she would have thought, 'That can't be true. We went places Mother never mentioned or even thought of!' But this was Yunzie, a hurt seven-year-old who hungered for her mother's tender care.

"D-did she really?" Yunzie asked.

"Yes," Nakago replied.

"You'll stop hurting me if I help?" Yunzie asked.

"But of course," Nakago replied.

"Will you be my big brother?" Yunzie asked innocently.

"...." Nakago was at a loss of words, "Yes," He said at last.

"Okie, then... I'll be a Guardian of Seiryuu. Can I sleep now?" Yunzie asked.

"I'll take you to your chambers," Nakago scooped the broken child up and carried her down to a tent. Yunzie nuzzled against Nakago much like a cat would and fell asleep on the way there. As Nakago set her down and tucked in the love-starved girl, he smirked triumphantly. He easily ignored the nagging in the depths of his mind. The nagging that wanted to protect Yunzie and be a true brother to her. He had no time for such foolish things.

~¤~

Rami suddenly cried out in pain and clutched her right shoulder.

"What is wrong?" Hotohori asked.

"I-i don't know... Someone's hurt..." Rami pulled back her sleeve but there was no wound, "I can feel the pain of the other seishi..."

"Who is hurt?" Hotohori asked.

"I don't know... Let me see..." She closed her eyes, "Nuriko. Nuriko is hurt," She whispered after a moment.

"!!!" Hotohori's eyes widened, "Miaka is with Nuriko!"

"Don't worry, Hotohori-sama. Tamahome was with them too, remember? I can feel that he is fighting, and winning," Hotohori calmed down a bit.

"If Miaka gets hurt..." He murmered.

"Don't worry," Rami repeated, "Perhaps this is the fifth gift. To feel the pain of others,"

"Perhaps," Hotohori echoed, "Perhaps,"

"Hotohori-sama?" Rami asked, recoverinh from the shock of the pain, "Lets get back on the horse and head over that way," She pointed down a promising-looking street. Hotohori nodded and helped her onto the horse. He led the horse down the road to a libary at the end, "We might find some books on Genbu there,"

"I hope Nuriko will be alright," Hotohori replied, slightly off-topic.

~¤~

"Nakago-sama?" Yunzie asked, half-asleep, "Nakago-sama?"

"He's not here," Suboshi replied, "He's with Yui-sama," Yunzie squeaked in fear and sunk deeper into her blanket.

"I want Nakago-sama... Please let me see Nakago-sama..." Yunzie whispered, trembling with fright. She was terrified by Suboshi. He had beaten her with his Ryuuseisui.

"Great..." Suboshi muttered, "Another girl from another world who doesn't trust anyone but Nakago... Just my luck..."

"Please, Suboshi-sama, let me see Nakago-sama...." Yunzie begged, her voice was tearful as she started to weep softly.

"Hai, hai, whatever..." Suboshi exited to get Nakago.

~¤~

"No luck..." Rami sighed as they exited the libary, "Now what, Hoto-" Rami made a gurgling sound, a strangled sound of pain, she fell over into the snow. Her eyes were wide with shock and one hand was on her side. The white snow beneth her began to bleed with crimson.

"Rami!" Hotohori bent down next to her, not knowing what to do. He gently turned her over and lifted her shirt slightly.*1 His eyes widened at the wound. They were puncture wounds. They entered from her back and exited through her left side. Five bloody holes straight through her body. They looked as if they had been made by claws, "Rami? How....?" Hotohori scooped her up in his arms. *2 Rami's eyes were glossy.

"H-hotohori-sama...? G...omen ne... My v-vision is b...lur...ed I can...not see you too we..ll..." Rami whispered.

"Shhh... Don't talk, I'll call the others with the signal flare," Hotohori took off his coat and set it on the ground. He then laid Rami down on it gently.

"It's col..d...." Rami closed her eyes and turned her head to one side, panting, "How did this happen....?" Hotohori had lit the signal flare.

"Please, just stay still," Hotohori begged. He stood up and looked around. His brow creased with worry, "Mitsukake..."

~¤~

"Nuriko!" Miaka called, "Are you alright?" She squatted down next to her friend.

"I'm fine," Nuriko asked, sounding surprised at the sound of his own voice. he lifted his bloody shirt up slightly. He looked just in time to see the last traces of a wound disappear, "What's happening?" He asked.

"Nuriko, are you alright?" Tamahome asked as he caught up with Miaka.

"You better get a signal fire lit, we've found the Shinzaho," Nuriko suggested.

"Hai,"

~¤~

"What happened to Rami-san?" Chriko asked.

"I don't know... We just came out of that building and she fell over. The wound just... Appeared..." Hotohori shook his head.

"M-mitsu...kake..." Rami choked out before pausing to catch her breath again, "L-let me bor...row your pow...er..."

"Why? I can just heal you. As you are, I doubt you could use my power," Mitsukake questioned.

"Nuri...ko..." Rami began.

"Save your strength, I'll tell them," Hotohori said softly, catching on, "She felt pain in her arm eariler. Nuriko was wounded. She is afraid Nuriko might need help, right?" Rami closed her eyes breifly, she nodded the slightest bit.

"I... I can man...age your power... Mit...su...kake... I know I can..." Rami pleaded. Mitsukake looked doubtful, but then leaned down and kissed Rami. Red light surrounded them and his mark appeared on her hand. *3 He cut off the kiss as soon as the light faded.

"Is it possible for me to loan you my strength, Rami?" Hotohori asked.

"I... don't... know..." Rami gasped.

"She can,"

"T-taiitsukun!" Hotohori stammered.

"Just take her hand and both of you focus on transfering ones life-force to the other and you can borrow some of Hotohori's strength," Taiitsukun instructed.

"Very well," Hotohori bent down next to Rami and took her hand. He thought of giving his power to Rami. Rami felt Hotohori's will to give her his strength and she opened her body and spirit to recive it. She pushed Hotohori's hand away after a while.

"Nani?" Hotohori asked, confused.

"A little more and you wouldn't be able to stand..." Rami replied as she lifted her hand to her side and focused on healing it. She felt the pain disappear and flesh mending itself on the inside. She then let her hand drop to her side. Mitsukake's symbol faded. Mitsukake checked her wound again.

"It's not too bad now. It's only a flesh wound. The internal injuries are gone and the bleeding has stopped. All I have to do is bandage it up. May I?" Mitsukake asked. Rami was to weak to nod so Mitsukake did it anyway.

"Taiitsukun! Tell us, what is her fifth power?" Hotohori begged.

"I cannot. Find out for yourself," With that, Taiitsukun disappeared again.

"I _really _wish she wouldn't do that. It freaks me out," Tasuki complained.

"Chichiri-san, Mitsukake-san, Tasuki-san, Hotohori-sama, look!" Chiriko pointed to a small collumn of thick, black smoke in the distance, "It must be Tamahome-san and the others!"

"We better go, Rami? Can you..." Mitsukake trailed off. Rami had passed out from exhaustion.

"I'll carry her," Hotohori offered. *4

~¤~

"Yes, Yunzie? Suboshi told me you called," Nakago asked as he stepped into the room.

"Gomen ne? I was just scared... You were not here and I was afraid Suboshi would use his Ryuuseisui on me again... Gomen Nakago-sama, if I bothered you," Yunzie said in a fearful voice.

"Is anything wrong, Yunzie?" He asked, though showing little concern.

"My side hurts, thats all... My neck hurts to, but thats going away now," Yunzie replied, "Can I meet Yui-sama?"

"Very well, follow me, Yunzie,"

~¤~

"What happened?" Tamahome asked as Hotohori and the rest reached him, "What's wrong with Rami? Were you attacked?"

"That is the point, we were not. A wound appeared in her side out of nowhere," Hotohori set Rami down. She stirred.

"How is Nuriko?" She asked.

"Fine, though I don't know how. Wait," Tamahome turned and called for Miaka and Nuriko.

"Hey! We found the Shinzaho.... Why is Rami all patched up?" Nuriko asked.

"There are ten puncture wounds. Five on her back and five on her front. They used to go all the way through but she borrowed my power and healed herself, most of the way," Mitsukake replied.

"They looked as if they had been made by a wild animal..." Hotohori said, half to himself. Then it dawned on Nuriko.

"I fough Ashitare... He stuck me through with his claws. In my left side. The wound heals so rappidly, it just sort of disappeared," Nuriko stopped. The rest of the seishi figured it out.

"Does this mean that the fifth power is to absorb the wounds of hurt seishi?" Chiriko asked.

"But when Nuriko's arm was hurt eariler, I only felt the pain. I didn't inheirt the wound," Rami countered.

"Well, perhaps you only inheirt life-threatening wounds," Hotohori replied.

"Then how did Ashitare die?" Chiriko asked, pointing to the fallen form of the Seiryuu seishi.

"Nani?" Everyone asked except for Rami.

"She means that if the fifth power is this, then Yunzie would have died in Ashitare's place when Nuriko killed him," Rami said.

"Well... I don't know... Whatever, lets go get the Shinzaho!" Miaka grinned. Everyone agreed. Nuriko still felt guilty.

"Thank you, Rami. If it were not for you, I may have died here as well. I had no way to get Mitsukake here. Now I shall be able to protect Miaka, not to mention make fun of her. Arigatou," He helped Rami up and helped her limp to the door of the cave.

'_Yunzie.... Please be okay... I'll come for you as soon as I can... Wait for me..._'

~¤~

"Yui-sama?" Nakago asked.

"Nakago? Come in," Yui replied.

"You have a guest," Nakago informed her.

"A guest?" Yui asked, "Who?"

"Her name is Yunzie. She is the Guardian of Seiryuu,"

"Yunzie?" '_That little girl Miaka knocked down in the ice-cream shop?_' "Let her in,"

~¤~

YAY! It's long! I'm happy!

1)Minds outta the gutter, now!

2)Oh, how I wish I were Rami... But I'm a Chichiri fan...

3) Please don't make a big deal out of this kiss. It's to save her life and thats all. I'll tell you when you can make a big deal out of a kiss.

4) No, I am not pairing Hotohori up with Rami. I just coudn't think of anyone else to carry Rami. See:

Chiriko: Automatically ruled out. _Look_ at him! You think he could carry Rami?  
Tasuki: Hates women.  
Mitsukake: I'm already having problems with the kiss.  
Chichiri: One of his hands (or both) are occupied with his staff.  
See? I made the logical choice!


	3. If Only You Knew

Untitled Normal Page

Just There to Die

Chapter Three: If Only You Knew.... The Pain I Feel Within

(Yes, I skipped over the Hokkan Shinzaho. Nothing happened. Everything just as was, with one more person fretting over Miaka and one more girl whimpering in pain.)

"Rami! Can you sense Miaka?" Tamahome asked.

"I... No... I'll try...." Rami panted, trying to catch her breath.

"Tamahome, she's exausted from the pain of being encased in ice," (Miaka was encased in ice, so was she) Mitsukake informed, "Rami, you'd better just rest,"

"How about we check in at an inn for the night and look for Miaka tomorrow?" Nuriko suggested.

"No!" Tamahome exclaimed, "There's no telling where Miaka will be by then, nore what will happen to her!"

"Look, nothing is going to happen to her! If anything happens to her, and I really mean _if_, Rami'll know first, right?" Nuriko gave Rami a weak grin.

"...." Tamahome gave in.

"Alright, everyone! We're going back to the inn," So the seven seishi and Guardian treked back down the mountain with Tamahome dragging behind.

"Miaka..."

~¤~

"So they betrayed both of us? Everything Nakago-sama said was true?" Yunzie asked Yui in a fearful voice.

"Yes, I'll never forgive Miaka," Yui replied softly as she finished braiding Yunzie's hair.

"And I'll never forgive Rami," Yunzie turned to face Yui and smiled, "Will you be my new Oneechan?"

"Hai, come now. We're heading to Sairou next," Yui informed Yunzie.

"Sairou koku? Where is that?" Yunzie asked innocently.

"Well, I heard it's in a big desert and...."

~¤~

Rami woke up with a start, '_It's gone.... I can't feel it anymore... I can still feel my bod with Yunzie, but something's missing.... Something important......_' Rami climbed out of bed and walked outside. She wasn't cold. She loved the brisk winds in Hokkan for some reason She ventured out into a yard. It was a frozen wonderland. A still lake, frozen a good three feet on the surface, reflected the full moon making the whole yard glisten an eerie silver. A lone tree stood tall in one corner covered with ice spears that hung heavy on the branches. Everything was frozen solid or at least glazed over with ice. A flowering bush had fragil blue blossems on it. They too were frozen. Rami sat down in the middle of the frozen lake. So it wasn't the smartest thing to do, being all alone on that frozen surface helped clear her mind.

"Yunzie, if you can hear me, reply... Reply...." Rami cleared her throat and began to sing a soft melody.

'_You're such a lucky girl,  
That's what they always say,  
Rich and beautiful and bright,  
They don't get to see what's hidden deep inside,  
So, I feel all alone,  
They keep telling me, my life is so grand,  
What will make them understand?  
No one knows how truely lonely I am,  
Why won't they understand?  
I may act as if I'm strong,  
But all I want is to belong,  
Love and understanding from mom and Dad,  
Is all I need to keep from beind sad,  
If only I could just let go,  
Help me let my feelings show...._'

~¤~

Yunzie sat up in her bed, tired. She rubbed her eyes and looked out the tent at the full moon, "I wonder if Rami is looking at the moon too.... No, I'm mad at her, remember? I promised Yui-sama I would never fogive her...." She sniffled softly, "If only you were here, 'neechan..." (Hint, she's not talking about Rami) She cleared her voice and pushed all the weariness out of it. Then, she began to sing.

~¤~

Chichiri sighed, "I can't sleep, no da...." He sighed and opened his door. A soft voice carried to his ears through the brisk breeze, "Who's singing, no da?" He strolled down the hall slowly, wrapping a blanket around him tighter. He saw Rami in the garden out of the corner of his eye when..... Nuriko opened his door and slammed into Chichiri.

"Chichiri! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" Nuriko helped Chichiri up.

"I've been better, no da..." Chichiri brushed himself off, "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I came out to investivate the singing," Nuriko replied.

"You too, no da?" Chichiri asked, suprised.

"You mean that's why you're out?" Nuriko asked back.

"Hai, no da! I think it's Rami," He pointed down to the garden.

"Whatever she's signing, it sounds sad," Nuriko said to no one in paticular.

"Yeah, no da..."

~¤~

Rami opened her eyes and stopped her song, "W-who's there?"

"It's just us, no da!" Chichiri replied.

"What were you singing?" Nuriko asked as they sat down next to Rami.

"It's really none of your buisness!" Rami snapped. Chichiri and Nuriko were a bit shocked to say the least, "I'm sorry..." Rami sighed.

"It's okay, no da," Chichiri assured her, "We don't want to force you, no da,"

"I guess I owe you both my tale, eh?" Rami smiled sadly, "Yunzie wasn't always my only sister. I wasn't always oldest either. When I was ten years old I had an older sister named Wei-shan," (Ack, self-insertion... yep, TDP's real name is Wei-shan. AKA Wei. I tend to kill myself off when I insert myself in a fanfic because I feel so bad doing it....)

"She did everything with Yunzie and I. Yunzie doesn't remember her too well, she was only a year old at the time.... Anyway, we had something called a 'sister song'. It was divided into three parts-" Rami began.

"Can we hear?" Nuriko asked, "Your 'sister song' I mean,"

"Well... After I finish, or you won't understand. One part to each of us. One day, we were playing in the street and Yunzie got in to way of a passing vehicle. Wei rushed over and pushed Yunzie out of the way but... She was crushed to death.Yunzie got out of it with barely a scratch. Yunzie wasn't quite the same for a long time afterwards. She would be all alone in a room and carry on long converstions.

'Night 'neechan!

'neechan! Look at the picture I drew today!

Gomen nasai, 'neechan... It's my fault....

No one ever figured out why she did it... But.... Now for the sister songs..."

My part goes like this..."

'_You're such a lucky girl,  
That's what they always say,  
Rich and beautiful and bright,  
They don't get to see what's hidden deep inside,  
So, I feel all alone,  
They keep telling me, my life is so grand,  
What will make them understand?  
No one knows how truely lonely I am,  
Why won't they understand?  
I may act as if I'm strong,  
But all I want is to belong,  
Love and understanding from Mom and Dad,  
Is all I need to keep from beind sad,  
If only I could just let go,  
Help me let my feelings show...._' 

"After Wei died, my mother and father never let me cry, or even mention Wei. They made me pretend she never existed. They made me bottle it up inside. They wanted Yunzie to forget. They wanted to erase Wei from our lives. it didn't matter, Yunzie remembered. There was always a void in my heart where joy once filled. Yunzie always sees herself as a burden to me. She thinks I don't like her because she thinks she killed Wei. I have't shed a single tear for six years, believe it or not. I've long since forgotten how to laugh and how to cry. Frankly, I don't quite care,"

"Yunzie's part goes like this,"

'_I remember this song,  
I've known it for so long,  
And it feels so good to hear,  
Sounds a little sad be sweet just the same,  
Lovely melody,  
Whenever I hear this song,   
I really don't know why,  
It makes me shed a little tear,  
But I'm sure my tears will soon disappear,  
Because I know you're here,  
Whenever I am feeling sad,  
And everything around looks bad,  
All I have to do is think of you,  
I know my dreams are waiting to come true,  
Let's go on with hope in hearts,  
Let's go on with the dream in our hearts,  
Let's go on and find them now,_'

"Yunzie got the longest part, but she memorized it. She always said, 'for 'neechan' after singing it. I really don't know what is going on in her mind. I do know that something has stolen her childhood from her. The last part was sung by Wei... She only sang it to us once. It's long since been forgotten by Yunzie and my parents, but I remember,"

'_You are my angels,  
You are my everythings,  
You mean more than anything,  
When you smile so lovely and bright,  
Makes the world seem right,  
At times you can act,  
Like such little girls,  
But in my eyes you are the world....  
Heaven wish you happiness for all time,  
And may the world be kind,  
Whenever you are feeling down,  
Whenever you are feeling blue,  
All you have to do is sing this song,  
Remember I'll be watching over you,  
Please go on with hope in your hearts,  
I will always be with you,  
Please go on with the dream in your hears,  
I will always be with you,_'

"......"

"......."

"......."

"....that's quite a past you carry," Nuriko sighed, finally, "It makes me feel as if I've overreacted,"

"Now, I'm afraid that my part of our song will be all that's left... I'm afraid to lose Yunzie too... Or, perhaps, I've already lost her...." Rami cried out suddenly, she fell back and her head hit the ice.

"Rami! Daijobu ka?" Nuriko asked.

"Miaka..." Rami let the air out of her lungs with a hiss, The front part of her blouse ripped open and a bronze button rolled over by Nuriko's hand, "Nakago has Miaka...."

"Nani...? Before, the little thing's didn't happen to you, now.... Even what happens to her clothes you match..." Nuriko looked at Rami again before she realized what was happening to Miaka, "K'so! Chichiri, wake the others, _now_!"

~¤~

"For 'neechan..." Yunzie yawned and fell asleep on the horse she was sharing with Suboshi.

*I'm going to make like Yunzie now... It' 3:44 AM! Oh, BTW, the song I used is proporty of Rhapsody and junk and junk. Legal stuff.


	4. Plight of Yunzie

Untitled Normal Page

Just There to Die

Chapter Four: Plight of Yunzie For 'neechan....

(Yes, I skipped over things again, this time I skipped over Miaka's almost rape (thrice) and running away and Tomo, such and such. Everything happened as is with + 2 people, kay? We're at the place where Miaka cooks. Keep your mind open this chapter or you're sure to have a heart attack. '*' these cute little stars mark the places where you'll have a heart attack with out an open mind. BTW, you won't know what the title is all about 'til the end.)

"Chichiri-san?" Rami asked.

"Huh?" Chichiri turned, "Rami! How are you feeling, no da? Were you saying something"

"N-never mind.... It's nothing," Rami blushed slightly and rushed away. '_Agh.... How am I going to tell him...? He'll hate me for it.... Or worse.... I guess this started when I borrowed his power...._'

~¤~Flashback~¤~

"Chichiri-san! Quickly! Let me borrow your powers!" Rami cried, panicked.

"Nani?" Chichiri looked at her, asking her a silent question.

"I don't have time to explain!" She scowled and latched one arm around his neck, locking him in place. She hastily tore off his mask and planted a light kiss on his lips. She then let go and began to disappear.

~¤~End Flashback~¤~

She let out a heavy sigh, '_Then one thing added on another... I have deadly secrets... Deadly, deadly secrets... Something terrible, something wonderful...._' She looked into the deep blue sky of Konan and asked the heavens, "Why me...?"

"WHY ME?!!"

"Have you touched the Hokkan Shinzaho?" A voice asked. Rami jumped.

"Gah.... Stop going that, Taiitsukun..." Rami but a hand on her chest and sighed in relief.

"Well forgive me for caring!" Taiitsukun scowled.

"What is it, Taiitsukun?" Rami asked.

"Honestly... If you had been listening.... I asked, 'Have you touched the Hokkan Shinzaho?' " Taiitsukun repeated.

"Oh, I did, why?" Rami asked.

"It was a sort of power-up. Have you noticed an increase in your power?" Taiitsukun asked.

"As a matter of fact, I have...." Rami thought back to the lake at Hokkan.

"Make sure to take the power of the Sairou Shinzaho as well," Taiitsukun nodded and disappeared.

"Now back to my problem...." Rami sighed.

"Was that Taiitsukun, no da?" 

"Ch-ch-chichiri-san!" Rami jumped again, "Agh, gomen nasai..."

"What's wrong no da?" Rami stifled a heartbroken sob before latching herself onto Chichiri*1.

"Before I tell you anything, gomen nasai and please don't hate me..." Rami sobbed.

"W-what's wrong, no da?" Chichiri stammered as he tried in vain to regain his posture.

"When I got your powers back in Hokkan... I read your mind... I know everything..." Rami whispered.

"Everything? Everything what, no da?" Chichiri asked.

"Kouran, Hikou," Rami murmured. *2 Chichiri pulled himself from her grasp. She fell to her knees, sobbing. Chichiri felt very violated to say the least. Its much like how one of us would act if we found out someone had read our diaries.

"Gomen nasai, gomen nasai, gomen nasai...." Rami whispered.

"It's okay, no da," Chichiri replied, "You didn't mean to, no da,"

"A-arigatou," Rami collected herself and forced herself to stand.

"Can I ask you something, no da?" Chichiri asked.

"Sure," Rami replied.

"Do you think any less of me now? Do you think I'm a horrible person?" Chichiri asked slightly timidly.

"No... Why would I? I think you're the strongest person I've ever met and I hold you in the highest of respects," (Chichiri Doll: This sounds more like TDP-sama as opposed to Rami. TDP: SHUT UP! You're not supposed to be in the fanfic! BTW, I hope this isn't OCC for Chichiri) Rami replied without hesitation.

"You're not supposed to react that way! I _killed_ my best friend! My fiancee _died_ because of me!" Chichiri cried.

"Iie.... Iie... That's not how I see it. You're human too. Anyone would be furious if they felt betrayed by the very ones the trust most. Look at Yui and Miaka. They were best friends too. Yui is our enemy because Nakago made her think Miaka betrayed her. It's a strong emotion that can overcome any of us. You had a fight with your friend. No big deal, I fight with my friends sometimes too, once I broke someone's arm on purpose. Hey, they were picking on Yunzie. Even then, you forgave him in the blink of an eye to save him. Even I couldn't say that much for myself. You acted like a very noble person. Better than human. This doesn't make me think less of you, rather... Now, I look up to you," Rami grinned, "Literally too,"

"......do you think the others will respond like you?" Chichiri asked at last.

"No," Rami replied flatly, "I think they'll do much better,"

"....well, it's dinnertime, no da? Miaka asked me to call you, that's why I came in the first place, no da?" Chichiri tugged on Rami's sleeve.

"H-hai," She obediently followed Chichiri much like a puppy would.

~¤~

"Wow, Sairou sure is pretty!" Yunzie skipped ahead of Yui and Nakago.

"Oniisama, oneechan? Where are we going?" Yunzie asked as she turned around.

"We're going to get the Shinzaho," Nakago stated simply.

"Oh, how are we going to do that?" Yunzie asked, smiling as she hummed something tuneless.

"Yes, Nakago, how are we going to do that?" Yui asked.

"Suboshi has informed me that Tatara of the Byakko seishi has it. He is in the Shrine of Byakko. We'll just take him and convince him to hand over the Byakko Shinzaho," Nakago shrugged it off.

"Nakago! That's kidnap!" Yui cried.

"Kidnap is bad!" Yunzie stuck out her tongue.

"But Yui-sama, there is no other way to obscure the Shinzaho," Nakago said all-too-calmly.

"....I still don't like to idea of abducting someone,"

~¤~

"Um..." Rami didn't know how to warn the other seishi of Miaka's cooking abilities without hurting her feelings. She decided to improvise, "Ahh!" She cried, clutching her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Nuriko asked.

"I 'ave a wheally bad tootache," Rami moaned, "I tink I'm going to go bwush my teet, 'kay?", "Save somting fo' me 'kay?" Rami scooted off, "Ahem, Nuriko, Hotohori, may I see you two in da hwall?" She motioned for the two to follow her.

"Yes, Rami?" Hotohori asked as they exited the room. Rami held her finger up, telling him to hold on. They then heard the faint clatter of chopsticks hitting the table.

"That," She motioned for them to peek in.

_'Do people actually eat this stuff...?'_

_'This taste is beyond human knowledge, I should analyze this'_

_'I'm going to have to make a biiiig batch of stomach medicine,'_

"You all look like it tastes horrible..." Miaka said in an odd tone.

"Of course it does!" Chiriko realized what he had just said, "I mean, it doesn't!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Tasuki agreed, "I think this soup is just super!"

"Thank you Tasuki, Xi Fang made the soup," Miaka said in the same tone. Tasuki froze.

"This is terrible. I can't eat this garbage," Tamahome burst out suddenly, "Even pigs get better slop than _this_," Miaka looked devastated.

"Tamahome! Were you born in a barn?! Even if this stuff _does_ taste terrible, you don't-" Tasuki froze again and sweatbeaded. Miaka left the room.

"Give it to me," Tamahome sighed, "Give me all the food Miaka made," He took it all and began to eat it.

Mitsukake's eyes widened, '_No doubt about it, he's gonna die_,"

"Tamahome, your face is turning blue," Tasuki pointed out.

"Shut up!" Tamahome snapped.

"Rami!" Nuriko threw his arms around the girl, "You saved my life again!"

"That was awful cold of you," Hotohori scowled.

"I would have warned the other seishi, but I thought Tasuki deserved it, Tamahome really deserved it, Mitsukake needs to know just how strong his stomach medicine needs to be, and Chiriko and Chichiri? I forgot about them..." Rami grinned sheepishly, "Let pretend we were discussing erm.... How to save Yunzie, okay?" Nuriko took the lead.

"Well, I hope Nakago hasn't won her over yet," He said in a loud voice.

"I hope so too, if that happened, we wouldn't have a chance in hell to get her back," Rami replied. Her face fell and she fought back tears, '_Cool it, Rami... We're just acting to stay outta trouble...._'

"Rami? Are you alright?" Hotohori asked as they entered the dining room.

"I'm fine...." She shook her head, "Where did Miaka go?"

~¤~

"Tatara-san? Are you okay?" Yunzie asked as she squatted down next to him, "I'm sorry I tricked you. Demo, if i hadn't Oniisama would have punished me,"

"That man is your brother?" Tatara asked.

"Not really, but My O- But Rami betrayed me so I can't forgive her," Yunzie helped Tatara sip some water.

"Your name is Yunzie?" Tatara asked, Yunzie nodded, "Do you even know what 'betrayed' means, child?"

"Not really, but Yui-sama said thats what Rami did and she said that I mustn't forgive her," Yunzie replied.

"Well, what did Rami do to you?" Tatara asked.

"She didn't come and save me when Suboshi and Oniisama were hurting me," Rami pulled back the sleeve of her school uniform revealing scars from Suboshi's Ryuuseisui.

"Well, what if your sister couldn't come help you? What if she had been in danger or something?" Tatara asked.

"I never thought of that...." Yunzie frowned thoughtfully, "You're very nice, Tatara-san. I wish I could let you go, but there are two problems. The first is that I don't wanna get punished again. The second is the fact that I'm too short to reach your chains," Yunzie gave Tatara one of her innocent smiles. Tatara chuckled.

~¤~

"What's wrong?" Nuriko asked Tokaki.

"Tatara's missing!" Subaru cried as they rushed out of the shrine.

"I bet the Seiryuu is here," Tamahome shook his head, "Well? What now? Miaka and Rami aren't here,"

"I can feel a lot of Seiryuu chi coming from that way, no da," Chichiri pointed to another building not too far from the tower.

"Let's go!" Tokaki rushed off, followed by the rest of the seishi.

~¤~

"Thanks for coming with me, Rami," Miaka whispered.

"Yeah, well, I teleported to you as soon as I felt you get worried," Rami smiled.

"Well, that was because I saw Nakago," Miaka shuddered. Rami turned a corner and realized Miaka wasn't following her anymore. Rami peaked around the corner, she saw that Nakago had caught Miaka. Rami shook her head. '_I can't believe she got caught already! I'll have to keep close tabs on her now_,'

"Well, she has come all this way.... Why not take her to her long lost best friend?" Nakago's cold voice suggested.

~¤~

"Miaka!" Yunzie snarled. She got up away from Tatara and glared at the Suzaku no Miko, "You were mean to my 'neechan! Oneechan said that you betrayed her," 

'_Is she talking about Rami...?_'

"She is talking about the Seiryuu no Miko in case you were wondering," Tatara offered.

"Miaka!" Rami teleported into the room, "Gah..." She fell to her knees, "Teleporting takes a lot outta you... How could you have been as careless as to getting caught by- Yunzie!" Rami rushed over to Yunzie.

"Hello Rami," Yunzie snorted. Tatara sent a glare her way. Yunzie mumbled an apology, "I mean Oneesan,"

"Yunzie!" Rami rushed over to her sister and bent down. She threw her arms around Yunzie as tight as she could, "Yunzie, I was so worried about you.... Never do that again!"

"It's not like I had a choice," Yunzie replied.

"Yunzie, I'm so sorry it took me so long to get here! It's just, I could never seem to catch you! Nakago was always one step ahead of us the whole way," Rami wept on her little sister's shoulder, "Gomen nasai, gomen nasai, gomen nasai..."

"Why didn't you come....? Why didn't you save me....?" Yunzie asked in her lost little-girl's voice.

"Save you...? From what?" Rami let go of her sister.

"They hurt me, 'neesan," Yunzie looked away.

"They-" Rami's eyes widened, she pulled up the sleeves of her uniform, "This...?" Rami showed her streak-like scars.

"How did you get them, 'neesan? Suboshi used his Ryuuseisui on me," Yunzie showed Rami her scars. They were identical to Rami's except on Rami's arms, the newer scars were shallower than Yunzie's.

"I don't know... Let me test something out." Rami took a knife out of her pocket and cut a deep wound on the back of her hand. A small line of red appeared on Yunzie's hand. Yunzie's eyes watered.

"Owie! Rami! It hurts!" Yunzie brought the wound to her mouth.

"Thank goodness," Rami sighed, "Well, here's my theory. When we had a strong sister bond, in this world... Whatever I felt, you could feel it too, but as our bond weakened, so did out link. You forgave me enough to call me 'neesan so some of our bond was restored." Rami smiled. Yunzie smiled back.

"Oneesan, Miaka, this is Tatara-san. He is very nice," Miaka's eyes widened. Rami voiced her thoughts for her.

"Tatara of the Byakko seishi? The one who holds the Shinzaho?" Rami asked.

"Yes, I am. Are you the Suzaku no Miko?" Tatara asked.

"No, I'm the Guardian of Suzaku. She's the Miko," Rami pointed at Miaka.

"Miaka?" A clear voice called from the doorway. Yunzie walked over the figure and dropped to one knee.

"Welcome, Yui-sama. The Suzaku no Miko is here. Erm..." Yunzie thought hard for a minute, "I... Am here to.... Protect you incase the Miko tries to harm you," Yunzie grinned, "Yay! I remembered all of what Nakago-sama taught me! Are ya proud of me, 'neechan?"

'_N-neechan...? Nakago-s-sama...? Then..... I've lost Yunzie...?_'

"Nakago taught you to speak like that?" _sigh_ "I'll have to talk to him about that... Well, Miaka? Didn't you want to talk to me? Well? Aren't you going to say anything?"

"I don't think she can...." Rami replied, "She may have lost her voice or something,"

"Wow, what a let-down, and just when I changed my mind and decided to talk to her today," Yui sighed.

'_Yui-chan! Yui-chan! I have to make her understand! I just have to!_' Miaka ran over and latched herself around Yui's neck.

"M-miaka...! I can't breathe!" Yui complained. Miaka released her friend with a sheepish grin.

"It's okay, Miaka. We have been friends since kindergarten," Miaka's eye sparkled.

"Oneechan? Didn't you say you would never forgive Miaka?" Yunzie asked. Yui sent her a cold glare. Realization sparked in Yunzie's eyes as she suddenly fell silent.

"Well, you said you would never forgive Rami, so we're even!" Yui lied, she smiled and winked at Yunzie who returned the smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do until just now," Yui said as she released Tatara from his chains. Tatara rubbed his sore wrists, coughing weakly. Yunzie rushed over to Tatara.

"Tatara-san! Are you okie?" She asked, brushing hair out of his eyes.

"I'm fine," He replied weakly.

"Let's get going,"

~¤~

Tatara didn't look too well. His steps were small and he stumbled half of the time.

"Tatara-san!" Yunzie cried, worried.

"Here, do you need to rest?" Yui let Tatara rest against a wall, "You know what? I think you should let Miaka have the Shinzaho right now," Miaka quickly checked to see if Yui had a fever.

"Do you think I should let you have the Shinzaho?" Tatara asked Miaka, looking doubtful. Miaka nodded with a small, cat-like 'mew'. Tatara, though reluctantly, reached up and pulled out a small, white seed from his hair. (I think it was his ear, but I put hair because it makes me think of Kurama, if you don't know who Kurama is, don't ask.) Everyone else looked confused. Tatara focused his chi on the seed and it sprouted. It grew rapidly and soon formed a bud. The bud burst into full bloom revealing a hand-mirror of some sort. Rami took it from Tatara.

"Wow, this is beautiful," She fingered the delicate design carved on the backside.

"It was Suzano's, she had it with her during the summoning of Byakko," Tatara replied. Rami's eyes suddenly went blank. Her grip on the Shinzaho loosened and she dropped it. Tatara quickly snatched it before it hit the ground. Miaka walked over to Rami, she timidly put her hand on Rami's shoulder. As soon as her hand rested on Rami's shoulder, her eyes went blank too. Rami began to speak in a low, monotone.

"Yui-chan, I'm so happy you forgave me. Nakago is a lying bastard. He is, was only using you. Please, Yui-chan. Come back with me. We can both go to Jonan together. Oh Yui-chan, I-" Miaka's eyes suddenly focused again. Rami moaned softly as her eyes closed and she collapsed.

"Oh, gosh! Here," Yui helped Miaka pull Rami's limp form against the wall. Tatara allowed her to lean on him, seeing she was not conscious to sit up. Her breaths were shallow and very weak, "What happened to her?" Miaka shrugged.

"Will she be alright?" Yunzie asked.

"Here, I'll go get her some water, alright?" Yui got up, "Yunzie, watch over them,"

"Hai, oneechan!" Yunzie smiled again as Yui rushed off to fetch water.

~¤~

Yui soon returned with a bowl of water. She tripped and spilled water all over Miaka.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Miaka!" He handed Miaka a napkin, "Here, dry yourself off. I'll hold that for you," Yui took the Shinzaho from Miaka who was busy drying herself.

"Yui-sama, don't you think all of us will catch attention if we're crowding the hall?" Yunzie asked. She silently apologized to her sister for what they were about to do.

"Ah, of course, Yunzie? Help Tatara up. I'll carry Rami." Yunzie nodded and helped Tatara to his feet. The five made their way down the hall slowly.

"Here you go, Tatara-san," Yunzie led him into a small storage room.

"You'll be safe here. I'll be right back, alright?" It wasn't until they closed the door behind Miaka did they realize something was wrong. Miaka ran to the door and began pounding. It was then Rami began to stir.

"What happened?" Rami asked as she picked herself up.

"Are you all right?" Tatara asked.

"I'm fine, actually, I've never felt better!" Rami replied.

"Gomen nasai," Yunzie sighed, "I tricked you again, Tatara-san,"

"You knew about this?" Tatara asked.

"Yes... Nakago-sama had told Oneechan that we could get the Shinzaho real easy if we just tricked Miaka-san," Yunzie hung her head in shame.

"Let's get outta here first, and I'll punish you later. Come'on," Rami smirked smugly. Yunzie looked up, eyes wide, knowing she had been forgiven so easily.

"Gomen nasai, Oneechan! Y-you forgave me real quick and I was mad at you so long.... 'Neechan!" Tears flowed out of Yunzie's eyes as she ran to her sister, her eyes were half-closed. She gave Rami a big hug as she sobbed with joy and relief.

"I'll get us out of here. As weak as I have become, I can still do that much," Tatara began to reach for a seed when Rami stopped him.

"Save your strength, let me," Rami rushed at the door and kicked it. Nothing happened for a moment, then two long cracks appeared, one on each door. Smaller cracks branched out until both doors crumbled. Tatara, Miaka, and Yunzie stared at her with their jaws hanging open, "Well? Let's go! Time is wasting!"

"Rami...? How did you do that?" Miaka asked.

"I kicked it dead center, where Chiriko said doors were weakest. I guess his brain is useful!" Rami grinned.

"You all stay here, I will retrieve the Shinzaho," Tatara ran off with these words. Miaka, Yunzie, and Rami glanced at each other an nodded. Rami let Yunzie climb on her back before they sprinted down that hall after Tatara. Halfway there they ran into Tamahome and Tasuki.

~¤~

"Hi, I'm Yunzie, Rami's little sister. I don't know if I'm still the Guardian of Seiryuu though," Yunzie smiled timidly at Chiriko. Chiriko nodded.

"I'm Chiriko of the Suzaku shichi seishi, but you can call me Doukun," Chiriko bowed slightly to Yunzie.

"How old are you, D-doukun?" Yunzie asked.

"Me? I'm thirteen, what about you?" Chiriko asked.

"I'm eight, my birthday was yesterday, but I don't think anyone has noticed," Yunzie glanced at Chiriko from an odd angle, "Wow, you look really young for thirteen!"

"I know," Chiriko laughed with Yunzie. They glanced over at the adults. They were busy. Miaka and Tamahome were kissing as Tasuki flipped.

"Doukun?" Yunzie asked.

"Yes?" Chiriko looked back at her and was surprised to find that she looked on the verge of tears.

"Have you ever felt... Useless?" Yunzie asked.

"Well...." Chiriko sighed, "All the time. I never do anything to help... I feel as if I am just a burden at times,"

"Same here, though I feel more like I haven't got a clue on what goes on. Like, I was so easily fooled by Nakago... I...." Yunzie's bottom lip quivered as she broke down into sobs. Yunzie threw her arms around the boy she had met no more than ten minutes ago. Chiriko looked stunned for a moment before wrapping his arms around Yunzie and patting her back soothingly. They didn't seem to notice the deathglare that Rami was giving Chiriko.

~¤~

"Yunzie, what are you doing?" Yui asked as they caught up with Tatara and she.

"I don't wanna be the Guardian of Seiryuu anymore! 'Neechan still loves me! She always did! Yui, Miaka's still your friend, isn't she? Ne? Isn't she?!" Yunzie looked at Yui with her hurt eyes, "Nakago's been tricking both of us! H-" Yunzie cut off as Nakago entered the room.

"Yunzie, Yui-sama, let's go," He said in his usual cold voice.

"Iie! Iie! I don't wanna help you anymore!" Yunzie shook her head. Chiriko stood protectively before Yunzie.

"You won't take her, Nakago!" Chiriko's voice was dripping with fury.

"You're not worth my time," Nakago turned. A sliver of silver (No pun intended) flew past Chiriko. Chiriko cried out in pain and fell to his knees. A tiny dart had skimmed his right arm.

"Doukun! Are you okay?" Yunzie asked.

"D-daijoubu," Chiriko nodded.

"Tatara!" Tokaki cried. Yunzie and Chiriko's attention focused on Tatara again.

"Tatara!" Subaru echoed.

"Tatara-san!" Yunzie ran to his side, "Tatara-san..." Something sparked in the back of Yunzie's mind. She head snapped over to the form of Miboshi. Miboshi lifted his head and smirked, glaring at Chiriko.

"IIE!!!!" Yunzie cried as she ran back to Chiriko. Everyone looked at her with puzzled expressions.

"Iie! Miboshi! Take me instead! Onegai, take me!" Yunzie stepped in Miboshi's path. She cried out as Miboshi entered and took over her.

"Yunzie?" Rami asked.

"I am Miboshi of the Seiryuu shichi seishi. What a traitorous child. No matter, I claim with body as my own,"

Ack, this was long. Nine pages. Longest chapter I've ever written. Yes, I am pairing up Chiriko with Yunzie. I know, there is a huge age gap. Chiriko just is never in and love stories. If you don't like this pairing, you'll love me later. If you like this pairing... I better get to building a bomb shelter right now. Remember the heart attack parts? I just had to get that out. I hope you didn't think Rami was in love with Chichiri. ^-^ I know this took a long time to get out, but I was on vacation in Cedar Point. Let me tell you, the Millenium Force... Whoa. Yeah. The Raptor.... *shudders* The Magnum? (sp?) Ouch. The Mantis? See birds. The Power Tower? Don't look down. The Mean Streak? ROCKIN! The Gemini is AWSOME! The Blue Streak isn't as good as the Mean streak. I'm shuting up now. ~TDP


	5. Rami's Grief

Just There to Die Chapter Five Rami's Greif

Just There to Die

Chapter Five: Rami's Grief Nothing to Live For...

"Nani..? Wasn't Miboshi just...?" Tamahome asked.

"In the course of learning all of my spells I had to leave my old body behind. Now I just enter whatever body I choose. Children are especially easy to claim for they haven't got the will to resist me," Yunzie, now Miboshi summoned it's spell-casting item to it's hand. (Him/her?!?)

_'She knew...'_ Chiriko thought in despair, _'She knew this was going to happen to her yet she shielded me from Miboshi... Why would she do such a thing?'_ Chiriko felt quite helpless. His mark was gone.

"We are in trouble, no da! Killing Miboshi could kill Yunzie, no da! And if we fight him, we may hurt Yunzie anyway, no da!"

"For now, you can play with my demon beasts until the Miko summons Seiryuu!" With that, Miboshi called forth eel-like demons. Chichiri called forth a barrier.

"It's too dangerous to leave the barrier, no da!" Chichiri cried. Miaka's foot accidentally exited the barrier and she was sucked out.

"Miaka!" Tamahome cried.

"Ah, you must be Tamahome. You're every bit as valiant as Nakago said you would be. Sadly, this child doesn't have the same will as you do," Miboshi poked Yunzie's cheek with the sharp end of his top, wincing slightly. An eel-demon suddenly clamped it's jaws down on Miaka's leg. Miaka cried out in pain as Rami fell on one knee, holding her hands over the wound. Blood seeped from beneath her fingers.

"Doushite?!" Rami cried, "Doushite, Yunzie?!?! DOUSHITE!?! Imoto..." Miboshi's eyes flashed green for a moment.

"My head feels like it's coming apart..." Miboshi moaned. In a flash of silver light, Miboshi's minions had been defeated and Miaka was safely in the arms of... Who?!?

"How did you get here?" Miboshi asked.

"Heh, you haven't been paying attention. I've been here all along." The young man smirked, "In simple terms, what you just saw was teleportation, the specialty of Tokaki, of the Byakko seishi." Tamahome and Tasuki flipped.

"Master?!" Tamahome screeched.

"Man, you sure are a lotta trouble for a student." Tokaki scoffed.

"Hey, old man, did you just keep that of face as a cover?" Tasuki asked. (lookie all the 'T' names)

"Of course not!" Tokaki snorted.

"I used a spell to turn our bodies back to what they were ninety years ago." a female voice called.

"I forgot, my dear! You're _sexy_!" Tokaki drooled over a younger Subaru. Subaru used her power on Miaka and healed her body and voice. Then they all turned their attention back to Miboshi.

"That is _it_!" Miboshi focused his power into his prayer wheel, the air around him turning dark shades.

"He's summoning a top-level demon, no da! One of the strongest, no da!" Chichiri cried in alarm.

".....oh shit....." Tasuki growled.

~¤Yunzie's POV¤~

_No.... He's hurting everyone. I... He's right. I'm not strong enough... I can't fight him..._

_Doukun...._

_What would you do?_

Yunzie watched helplessly as Miboshi continued his onslaught.

~¤~

"Yunzie! Yunzie, please!" Rami begged, tears streaming down her face. Nuriko half carried, half drug Rami along with the rest of the gang, Rami did her best to stumble along.

"Yunzie, why did you do that....?" Chiriko murmured as he looked over his shoulder. Suddenly, a yelp split through the chaos.

"Miaka!" Tamahome cried, Miaka had fallen.

"Miaka you idiot! Being clumsy at a time like this!" Rami cried with concern. Rami jumped out of Nuriko's grasp and teleported over to Miaka. A very stupid move in her weakened state. Even that small distance was a huge strain on her. Rami held Miaka's shoulders and she turned to the demon beast, "Yunzie, stop! You can't hurt us, please! This is your sister and Yui's best friend we're talking about! ....Wei.... Wei would be ashamed of you!"

~¤Yunzie's POV¤~

"_Wei would be ashamed of you!_"

Those words echoed in Yunzie's mind.

_Yeah, 'neechan would be so ashamed... What were the last words of her song...? Oh yeah.....   
Please go on with hope in your hearts,  
I will always be with you,  
Please go on with the dream in your hears,  
I will always be with you,  
I remember! I remember! .....Doukun..... Help me.... You're smart, I'm not. I wanna know what I can do to save everyone. To save oneechan, to save Miaka-san..._

Yunzie suddenly heard a soft voice echo in her mind.

'_What could have been...._'

It sounded like a voice she once knew, but since then forgotten. The voice belonged to..... Images flew through Yunzie's mind. 

Chiriko, he was crying.

His left arm was bloody, as was his right leg.

"I AM STILL A SUZAKU SHICHI SEISHI!"

Then.....

_Doukun!_

The images suddenly stopped. Yunzie could feel her right hand grasping the prayer wheel tightly.

_I know what to do.... Thanks, Doukun.... And thanks..... Wei, 'neechan._

Yunzie poured her heart and soul into a final attempt.

~¤~

Miboshi's eyes suddenly turned green, the expression on Yunzie's face twisted to one of pain. Yunzie forced a smile and stopped the attack on Miaka and Rami.

"Thank you, Doukun. Don't worry, 'neechan. I know what to do now....." Yunzie let out a girlish giggle, relaxing, almost letting Miboshi take control again, "Iie! No you don't, Miboshi!" Yunzie thought for a moment, for something special to say, just like Chiriko in her vision did.

"_Never_ think little kids aren't strong! Yunzie isn't afraid. Yunzie will never be afraid." Yunzie lifted the prayer wheel high above her head. She then uttered the one thing she her Nakago say most. "Miboshi, shi-ine!" With that, Yunzie plunged the prayer wheel downward.

"W-what are you doing?!" Miboshi stammered, "You'll kill us both!" The end of the sentence was snarled.

"Exactly." Yunzie smiled in triumph moments before the sharp end of the prayer wheel embedded itself in her heart. Yunzie's eyes opened wide in pain, she blinked and tears flooded down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and let out a scream, "RAMI!!!"

~¤~

""Iie, 'neechan. D-daijoubu, daijoubu, 'neechan. Go on.... With hope.... And dreams.... We'll always be with you." Yunzie whispered to her sister.

"Yunzie... Yunzie..." Rami cried, "Yunzie no baka."

"I-itai, 'neechan.... It hurts..." Yunzie began to cry again.

"I'll heal her right away." Mitsukake declared.

"No." Yunzie choked out.

"Nani?!" Mitsukake asked.

"Wei says no. Wei wants Miaka-san to hurry and leave. Tatara-san says to save Yui and Miaka's friendship. There's a lady with Tatara-san. She says she misses Subaru-san and Tokaki-san." Yunzie smiled up at people only she could see.

"Suzano-sama...." Tokaki whispered.

'_If only I could let Miboshi leave her body. Then Mitsukake could heal her... All I have to do is distract her, for just one second...._' An idea popped into his head. A crazy idea, one that would more than likely get him killed, but an idea all the same. Chiriko rushed over to Yunzie's side.

"Nani?" Everyone asked. Chiriko didn't answer. Instead, he leaned down and planted a kiss on Yunzie's cheek.

"NANI?!?" Rami screeched. 

"D-doukun?!" Yunzie asked in surprise. Miboshi took this chance to leave Yunzie's body, but found himself too weak to enter anyone else, Miboshi's spirit floated away into oblivion.

"Mitsukake-san, quickly!" Chiriko exclaimed. Mitsukake nodded and got to work. Soon Yunzie sat up, good as before. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, then touched the place where Chiriko had kissed her lightly. Instead of blushing like Miaka would have, Yunzie made a face.

"Eeeeewwwie!" Yunzie look up angrily at Chiriko, "Whadidja do _that_ for!?" Rami was looking as if she were ready to strangle Chiriko.

"....anou....anou...." Chiriko smiled sheepishly, "I guess I just was not thinking...." He giggled.

"CHIRIKO! I AM GOING TO _KILL_ YOU WHEN THIS IS OVER!!!" Rami hollered.

".....doushite, Rami-san?" Chiriko asked.

"You _kissed_ my sister!" Rami advanced on Chiriko, hands position to strangle the you seishi.

"......let's get going, no da!" Chichiri called.

"Hai!" Everyone chorused.

"...." Rami growled at Chiriko. "Just _wait_ until this is over."

~¤~

Rami's Thoughts: (AKA: What-TDP-Does-When-She-Gets-Too-Lazy-To-Write-A-Scene.)

_Successfully was succefully summoned. Our efforts were in vain. Yunzie, Nuriko, Miaka, and myself.... We all suffered for little to nothing. We do not know what to do now. Luckily, no one was killed in this process. The bad thing? There's always a bad thing. The bad thing is....._

_Konan is going to war._

_I have a feeling, just this nagging feeling that something terrible is going to happen. That I'm never going to see someone again._

_It's almost like someone has died and I haven't been told._

_....damn Kutou. Damn Nakago. Damn them all._

~¤~

Rami was in the garden with Yunzie at the time it happened. They were sitting by the lake on a stone bench.

"...so then what did Wei say?" Rami asked, finishing Yunzie first braid and getting ready to secure it with a red ribbon.

"She said she really misses us, but doesn't want to see either of us anytime soon." Yunzie giggled, "Wei-'neechan was crying because she thought I was going to die. Don't you think she should have been happy? I was, sort of. I wanted to stay with her, but 'neechan said, 'Stay, Rami needs you more.' Whydaya think she said th- 'Neechan? 'Neechan?!" Yunzie asked, frightened. Rami stared blankly ahead, dropping the ribbon in her hand. The ribbon floated down into the lake and was swept away. Rami fell backwards on the bench, her eyes sliding close as she fell, she landed in a heap on the ground, fiery locks sprawled like a halo of fire around her, ruby dust floated up from her body only to disappear. Rami's body arched upwards and lifted her up until she was floating in the air, as if being held around her waist. Red light continued to escape her body and dissipate. Abruptly, the light faded and Rami was dropped to the ground.

"Rami...?" Yunzie asked in her little-girl's voice, "Rami?" But call as she might, Rami would not stir. "RAMI!!"

~¤~

"I can't believe I'm just a _normal _person now!" Nuriko sobbed.

"....as if yah were ever normal!" Tasuki snickered. "_Nothin_' Suzaku can do'll make _you_ normal!"

"Why you...!" Nuriko punched Tasuki into the nearest wall. "Whaaaat?" Nuriko asked as everyone gaped at him.

"Are you _sure_ he's lost his powers?" Tasuki complained. "I sure as hell don't see a difference.... Itai...."

"RAMI!!" a child's scream echoed through the palace.

"That's Yunzie's voice!" Chiriko gasped. Tamahome nodded to Hotohori who nodded back. They ran out the door, everyone else took a hint and ran after.

~¤~

"What happened to her?" Tamahome asked as he did his best to calm Yunzie down.

"T-there was all this red light and....and-and.... it was coming from Rami-'neechan , th-then Rami-'neechan fell and she won't wake up!" Yunzie whispered between sobs.

"Hey, Rami. Rami?" Nuriko bent down to scoop her up, but the moment Nuriko touched Rami, red light flared all around them and Nuriko suddenly felt something burning on his chest. Nuriko looked down and saw that his mark was shining again, "Nani?" Nuriko asked. Rami's eyelids fluttered as she awoke.

"....huh?" Rami asked. Yunzie suddenly stopped crying.

"Hey... I remember Nakago saying something.... Um...." Yunzie thought hard.

~¤~

_"Yunzie." Nakago stated._

_"Hai, Oniisama?" Yunzie asked._

_"If..... If Seiryuu is ever sealed away, don't touch anyone except for myself."_

_"Doushite?"_

_"Touching a seishi will revive their powers, but you can only do it once, so make it count."_

_"Hai, Oniisama! I know you're the strongest Seiryuu seishi."_

~¤~

"So that's it, eh?" Nuriko asked, picking up a large rock just to make sure her powers were back.

"I think. I'm happy Oneechan is okay." Yunzie smiled. 

"Why the hell does Nuriko get his powers back?! It's not fair!" Tasuki growled.

"Well _I_ was the only one that was worried enough about Rami to try and help her!" Nuriko said with a smug smirk.

Everyone then left except Chiriko and Mitsukake, Tasuki grumbled about the unfairness of Nuriko being the special one until he was out of earshot. Mitsukake took Rami away for inspection, just to be safe. This was when Chiriko walked up to Yunzie.

"Yunzie, after this is over, let's go into the town and buy some candy!" Chiriko smiled at Yunzie.

"Okay! I'm sure Hotohori will let us have a little bit of money for candy!" Yunzie replied, then her expression grew thoughtful, "Isn't there a recipe for candy anywhere in all of those scrolls you read?"

"Come to think of it, I'm sure there is! But my mark...." Chiriko's face fell.

"What about it? As long as you can read, I think I can figure the rest out. I'm, okay at cooking, not reading." Yunzie shook her head sadly, "I wish I could study hard like you and stuff. I can't read Chinese at all...."

"Maybe I can try to teach you later, right now, let's make candy for everyone!" Chiriko laughed.

"Yep! We'll have to make a lot for Miaka-san or else no one else will get any." Yunzie replied.

~¤~Later that day....~¤~

(We are at the scene where Tamahome is about to make Miaka his bride..... *snorts at the memory*) 

"Hey... What's that smell?" Miaka asked suddenly.

"What smell....?" Tamahome asked, looking a bit confused.

"I smell something yuuuuummy...." Miaka's stomach rumbled loudly as if on cue.

"...." Tamahome was about to tell Miaka that he didn't smell anything when....

"Minna-san! Come, hurry! Yunzie and I have a surprise for you all!" Chiriko's voice called down the corridor.

"....let's get going Miaka." Tamahome sighed.

"I hope they have food!"

"...."

~¤~

"What is it Chiri-" Nuriko broke off into a yawn, stretching like a cat.

"Yeah Chiriko. What's up with wakin' us up? Isn't it past your bedtime?" Tasuki asked.

".....but look!" Yunzie protested. "We both worked really hard on it!"

"Wow, no da! You made that all by yourselves, no da?" Chichiri asked.

"Hai!" Yunzie and Chiriko piped in unison, then the looked at each other, smiled, and laughed.

On a plate in the center of one of Hotohori's larger tables sat a giant platter of sparking candies. They were small squares of an amber, glass-like candy that glistened in the light of the candles that were lit.

"Mmmmm!" Nuriko squealed as she popped one in her mouth, "These are _good_! How did you make them?"

"That, Nuriko-san, is a secret." Yunzie and Chiriko chorused at the same time. They took a small glance at each other and burst into giggles.

"Actually, Nuriko-san, all we did was boil honey until it was very, very thick. Of course, we kicked all of your cooks out, gomen Hotohori-sama. Anyway, after that, we poured the honey into a long, square pan you use to serve fish and let it cool. After it was reasonably cool, soft still, but not so soft as to it would stick to the knife, we cut it into the squares you see now. Then we left it to finish cooling. We then strategically placed them on the platter so they would all balance and brought it out here. We ate a few ourselves to test it," Chiriko smiled at Yunzie who's guilty expression disappeared at once and was replaced by a wide grin, "and then we called you all here."

"Oi, Chiriko...." Tasuki called.

"Yes, Tasuki-san?" Chiriko asked.

"I thought we all lost our powers."

"But we did, Tasuki-san." Chiriko replied, confused.

"Then ya gotta be just a smart kid. Heh, yah don't need no stinkin' mark." Tasuki smirked at Chiriko.

"A-arigatou gosaimasu...." Chiriko stammered, blushing.

"Let's eat!" Miaka cried, inhaling a handful of candies before she even finished her statement. Everyone else sweatdropped.

"Hotohori-sama?" Chiriko asked, hesitation laced his voice.

"Yes?" Hotohori asked, setting the candy he had in his hand down.

"...I was wondering if you would allow me to be your strategist. I may not be as smart as I was before, but reading many scrolls has taken it's toll on me. I may be able to help."

"Of course!" Hotohori replied, smiling, "I feel you shall do a fine job, Chiriko."

Everyone settled down around the table. Hotohori had tea brought in for everyone and Tasuki had sake brought in for Nuriko, Tamahome, and himself. Actually, Nuriko squeezed Tasuki's arm until Tasuki added, 'For Tamahome and Nuriko too,' but that's aside from the point. Chiriko wrapped a big cube of candy that he had made specially for himself. He stuffed it into his pocket and began to leave.

"Doukun? Where are you going?" Yunzie asked.

"I am going to bed early." Chiriko replied.

"Okay..." Yunzie replied, not quite believing Chiriko but not having any reason to think otherwise

~¤~

"Alright people, let's get going. We have an empire to save!" Nuriko declared, clasping her hands together.

"Yeah, I want to fight to!" Tamahome cried.

"Hai! I'm still the Miko, I'm helping too!"

"...I shall do my best with the strategy field." Chirko nodded.

"I've got a god to guard," Rami grinned.

"I'm going out there as a traitor and proud of it." Yunzie grinned.

"Yeah!" Tasuki whooped.

"Yeah!" Everyone else chorused.

~¤~Yunzie's Thoughts~¤~

_Mitsukake-san gave his life to save many people. Chichiri-san says he just pushed every ounce of life-force he had into a final healing spell.... I felt it too. It was warm, like a hug. We all miss you, Mitsukake-san._

_Ja ne._

~¤~In the middle of the battle~¤~

(I skipped a bit so sue me.)

"Nakago-sama!" Soi's voice cried.

"Eh?" Nakago turned to see Soi shielding him with her own body.

"K'so," Tasuki cursed.

"N-nakago-sama...." Soi whispered.

"Soi.." Nakago jerked the sword from Soi's body and his features grew hard, he looked in Yunzie's direction and muttered something. "Restore her, her powers." A blue haze hit Yunzie. Yunzie cried out in pain and she was slammed to the ground.

"Yunzie!" Rami cried. "I-i though Seiryuu's power had left her!" Chichiri bent down next to Yunzie, checked her vital signs, then looked up sadly, shaking his head.

"No!" Rami shouted. She turned to Tasuki in rage. "You killed my sister!" She took the sword from the place Nakago had flung it.

"I-i wasn't aiming for her! I didn't mean it! Rami, stop! Damnit, Rami!" Tasuki tried to reason, but Rami was beyond reason. Far beyond reason. Rage lit her eyes ablaze as she slashed Tasuki across his chest. Tasuki jumped back but the blade caught his arm. Rami didn't even wince as the wound appeared on her own skin. She caught Tasuki on the back with the sword, and his cheek. Each time the wound flared upon her own skin. Everyone saw what she was doing, she was killing herself.

"Rami, stop!" Nuriko cried. But there was nothing anyone would do. Nothing. All they could do was watch as Rami continue to attack Tasuki.

Finally, Rami collapsed on the ground from blood loss after slashing Tasuki across the chest. She looked up at Tasuki with hatred.

"Murderer."


End file.
